If You Should Die Before Me Ask If You Can Bring A friend
by topsypervy
Summary: AU setting where Shepard and Garrus meet as teens on the Citadel and become friends. Follows their relationship from pre ME1 through the series as they become lovers. Fun, mischief and mayhem featuring turian OMC as well as human OFC and Garrus's father. ***** Due to an MA rating, Chapter 14 is posted on the Archive of Our Own website under topsypervy thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Jane Shepard fingers the end of her long braid anxiously as she waits for the elevator to reach her destination, exiting when the doors part before her and heading down to C-Sec headquarters. Her parents had taken shore leave on the Citadel months earlier and her mother had arranged an internship for her at C-Sec; though she'd always meant for Jane to join the Alliance, she thought it would be beneficial for her to have some previous experience in law enforcement. Jane had been ecstatic when her mother had told her the news, at the newfound freedom of being on her own on the Citadel; and her excitement holds up until she reaches the entrance to C-Sec headquarters where nervousness takes over. Standing in the doorway she suddenly feels very alone as she takes in the crowded space station, surrounded by hundreds of unfamiliar faces and species she's never seen before.

After taking a few moments to adjust herself to her new surroundings she turns back towards the doors and heads in, trying to bolster her confidence as she approaches the young blonde officer at reception. The man introduces himself as Officer Warren and pulls up her file on his data pad then excuses himself to find the Executor to get her assignment. Jane stands awkwardly at the desk looking around the office, unsure of what to do with herself when she sees a turian sitting in the waiting area out of the corner of her eye. She wonders how she missed him when she walked in, but assumes she was likely too distracted by her own nerves to have noticed him. She examines him for a moment; he is young, likely close to her age based on his size compared to the adults she had seen before, his face is adorned with blue colony markings spanning across his cheeks and bridge of his nose then continuing down along his mandibles and he sports a relatively short fringe.

Just then he looks up from his data pad, as if he can feel her eyes moving over him and she smiles sheepishly, blushing slightly at being caught staring. His mandibles flutter against his face for a second and he looks back down shyly just as the door opens and Officer Warren and a rather intimidating looking turian come into the room.

"Miss Shepard, we're pleased to have you." He begins, standing before her with a rigidness that only comes from extensive military service. "I am Officer Vakarian, Executor Pallin has tasked me with your orientation and training."

Shepard gives him a nod of acceptance and extends her hand to him, "Jane Shepard, glad to be of service, Sir."

He tilts his head slightly to the side in appraisal and accepts her hand, seemingly impressed by her decorum.

"Garrus here will help you get acquainted with the Citadel and escort you to your room," Releasing her hand he turns to the younger turian sitting on the nearby couch, who stands at attention upon hearing the elder's call to him. "We'll start work tomorrow morning."

She nods to him again and smiles at her young companion as he comes to stand at her side. "Thank you, Officer Vakarian."

He responds with a curt nod and disappears unceremoniously behind the door he came out from. She turns to her guide and he gestures towards the exit, leading her back out into the throng of people populating the busy ward.

"Garrus, is it?" She asks shyly, looking up at him their size difference seems more dramatic and she suddenly feels rather small despite being above average height for a girl her age.

He nods, looking down to her warmly with piercing blue eyes. "That's me." He says with a soft chuckle, "And you're Jane, right?"

"Yep." Feeling slightly awkward she looks down, avoiding making eye contact. "So… do you work for C-Sec?"

She hadn't expected the rumble of laughter that came from him and she looked up through her lashes at him, his mandibles had relaxed away from his face and exposed his lethal looking teeth in what appeared to be… a smile?

"No… that was my father you just met. I'm not old enough yet, and I'll serve in the military for a few years before anything else. I leave in a few months."

"Oh… how old are you?" She asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm fourteen." His brow rising in a quizzical look at her reaction, "What? How old are you?"

Jane tries to erase the surprised expression from her face, "Nothing… just... you're so big…. Eh… tall I mean, and I'm sixteen."

He gives her another teeth baring grin and snickers, "I'm average for my age… you're just small."

Shepard laughs, taking comfort in her new friend as they navigate the crowded walkways. They walk in companionable silence for a few moments as Shepard tries to absorb everything going on around them. She sees the familiar smiles of asari and salarians manning storefronts as they walk by, noting some stores she would like to visit later when she stops in her tracks at the sight of a large alien in front of them moving slowly toward them on all fours. Garrus notices her reservation and leans down slightly, "That's an elcor. Don't worry, they're harmless." He reassures her with a gentle hand rested on her shoulder.

Shepard relaxes and sighs, grateful to have such a kind hearted guide. Though she knew that he probably couldn't offer much protection if they got into a rough situation, she felt comforted by his presence and acceptance of her and the fear of being lonely while she was there quickly faded. Noticing that they've stopped walking Jane looks up to the neon sign above the storefront and then down to Garrus who seems to be rather excited to take her in.

"Castle Arcade?" She grins up at him and he returns her smile, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her along with him inside. Oh yes… they were going to be great friends indeed.

After spending a few hours too many at the arcade Garrus watches his new friend talk to another young human girl at a clothing shop while he procures some basic necessities for her in the levo market across the way. He'd seen plenty of humans before but never took the time to really examine them as they generally weren't enthusiastic about interacting with turians, though this one he thinks he'll be spending a good deal of time with, so he thinks he should probably get used to how odd her appearance is to him. He's making a mental note to look up what the brown stuff growing off her head is called when the man at the counter asks him a question.

"Sorry… what?" Garrus asks, turning back to the man to see that he had assembled a variety of foods fit for human consumption.

"Is there anything else that you needed?" The clerk repeated politely with a smile.

"Uh… just any toiletries that a human girl would need." He responds with a fair amount of uncertainty, he has no clue what she will need.

The friendly clerk gives him a chuckle and snaps his fingers, "I've got just the thing." He reaches under the counter and pulls out what looks to be a travel kit. "This should have everything she'll need."

Garrus examines the package, unsure what most of the strange objects it contains are, then nods and hands over the credit chit from C-Sec his father had given him to make sure she had everything she needed. He thanks the man and grabs the bags, turning to meet Shepard at the other store when he finds her standing right behind him and bumps into her.

"Whoops!" She laughs and grabs onto his arm to steady him. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on ya there. What's all this?"

"Just some food and a few other things you might need." He replies with a shrug, "But honestly, I don't really know what any of it is."

"It's okay," Shepard laughs, "I don't even think human guys know what half the things we use are. Thank you, Garrus, this is amazing." She takes a few of the bags he is carrying off his hands and gives him a bright smile with her strange flat teeth. "Show me where home is?"

"Of course." He leads her back through the wards and to the apartments near C-Sec headquarters, they ride together in the elevator up to her floor and reaching the door he pulls a key from his pocket and opens it for her. "Home sweet home." He says, handing her the key.

Jane pockets the key and walks inside, setting down the bags on the kitchen counter and exploring the small apartment as Garrus followed and started putting the food away. Garrus finishes unloading most of her items and pulls out the toiletry kit, curiously examining the strange small tubes of flowery smelling substances, different sized plastic planks with bristles coming off of them, and minty scented string that he found the strangest of all. He was still thumbing the hairbrush when she returned from the bedroom with an excited expression on her face.

"This place is awesome!" She exclaims, coming to his side and bouncing on the pads of her feet. He can't help but smile down at her, she's the silliest creature he's ever encountered and he likes her all the more for it. "Please say you'll come visit me."

"If you want me to, I'd be happy to visit." He sets her brush down and heads toward the door. "I should get going, though… my dad's going to be looking for me soon."

"Probably, we were at the arcade for a while. Thanks again, for everything." She moves in towards him with her arms extended and awkwardly bumps herself against him, her arms wrapping around him while his hang at his sides, unsure of what to do. After giving him a slight squeeze she pulls back and laughs at his confused expression. "Sorry, I guess hugging isn't a turian thing. I guess I'll see you later."

"Probably tomorrow at C-Sec, my dad's trying to drill rules into me before I go into service." He chuckles softly and opens the door, giving her a small wave as he leaves. "If you need anything, we're just three doors down."

Shepard smiles at the door as it closes after him, _he's cute_ , she thinks as she picks up the shampoo, toothpaste and other various items he'd gotten for her and heads to the shower.


	2. Chapter 2

A week goes by as Jane and Garrus work together at C-Sec, sitting across from each other studying the laws of the Citadel, memorizing alert codes and filing in the mornings and shadowing seasoned officers in the afternoons. Shepard leans back in her chair and stretches her arms up over her head as she looks at the clock on the wall.

"Twenty minutes left. Want to grab something to eat after?"

Garrus looks up from the report he was reading and at her voice and nods, "Sounds great I'm starving." He gets up and replaces the report in the filing cabinet, "We can probably go now, there's not much for us to do today."

"Alright," She shrugs and grabs her backpack, shouldering it and following him out.

They settle into a booth at a dextro/levo restaurant close by and select their choices from the datapad menus on the table. Shepard notices a turian girl eyeing them curiously from another table and smiles over at her, she'd never seen a female turian before and she was surprised by how pretty she found her to be. A few moments later an asari waitress brings by their drinks and food and Garrus promptly starts digging into a strange looking hunk of bluish tinted meat while she pours dressing over her own food.

"Wow… you really were hungry!" She giggles and stuffs a forkful of vegetation into her mouth.

"Told you..." He grins back at her and eyes her food suspiciously, "What is that you're eating?"

"It's a salad," Her expression is confused, "Never had one?"

"No… we're carnivores." As if to prove his point he stabs the large slab of meat with his fork and tears a chunk off with his sharp teeth and making a savage growling noise.

Shepard can't help busting up laughing at his display and notices the turian girl off to the side looking at them again, or more specifically, looking at Garrus. She thinks for a moment as her laughter fades and takes another bite of her rather tasty salad, leveling her eyes at him.

"So, Garrus… you got a girlfriend?" She questions nonchalantly.

Garrus coughs and clears his throat, looking down for a moment as if trying to come up with an answer. "No… why?" He eyes her suspiciously.

Shepard laughs, "Oh relax… I'm just curious," She smiles and tips her head to the side, gesturing to the turian girl, "and also that girl over there keeps checking you out."

He looks over in her direction just to see the girl's eyes go wide at being caught and turn away shyly. His mandibles pull tight against his face and he turns back to Shepard, a bluish tint rising up his neck.

Shepard giggles at his bashfulness, "You're pretty cute, aren't you?"

Garrus blinks at her in shock, his mandibles going slack with a baffled laugh, "Are you asking me?"

She sighs and shrugs, "I mean… I don't know what's attractive to turians… but either you're cute or she's wondering what the hell you're doing here with some weird human."

"Yeah, probably that." He snickers.

"Nah… you're cute." Shepard replies with a wicked grin, enjoying embarrassing him maybe a little too much.

Garrus just shakes his head at her and finishes his food as she makes quick work of her salad and grabs her stuff. "C'mon… we should go before you go breaking any more hearts. You down for a couple matches of Battle Fleet?"

He scoffs, "Only if you're down to get your ass kicked again."

"You know it!" She returns as they exit the restaurant followed by a still blushing Garrus.

When they get to Garrus's apartment they aren't surprised to find that his father is still working, it was no wonder the man wanted his son around at work, he might hardly see him otherwise since he hardly left the place. Jane sits on the awkwardly shaped couch built to accommodate the longer legs and cowls of turians and digs through her bag, pulling out a datapad as Garrus gets his from his bedroom down the hall. She finds herself very curious about his room; would he keep it perfectly organized and tidy like the rest of the apartment, or would he have an unmade bed and a sock littered floor like hers? She wonders what kind of posters would hang on his walls, _what's he into?_ Action movies, music… maybe Turian pinups… she giggles at the thought as he emerges and strides down the hall to sit next to her.

They each pull up the game on their datapads and start building up bases on various worlds. Shepard gives Garrus a scowl as he starts attacking one of her smaller bases and knowing it will be lost abandons the planet to search for a weakness in Garrus's fleet. He peers over her shoulder and scoffs.

"Heeey…. What are you doing over there?!"

"Aah!" She gasps in mock dismay. "Garrus, you cheater! Quit peeking!"

"But… I _just_ built that colony!" He whines and watches on her screen as her ships easily destroy his newly built structures.

"Well… maybe you shoulda thought about that and put up your anti-aircraft guns before attacking my main base!" She laughs and shakes her finger at him, "Tsk tsk, Vakarian. You know better than to leave your flank unprotected."

"I needed my full fleet to take your headquarters! I'm still winning…" He reminds her teasingly.

"Yeah… only 'cause you're a peeker!" She chides and gestures at him, "You turn that way and I'll turn this way."

He laughs and waves her off but turns as she does so that they're supporting each other's back with their own and neither of them can peek.

Tiberius Vakarian walks into the dimly lit apartment he and Garrus share to find an odd sight indeed. A pair of human and a pair of turian feet are draped over opposite ends of the couch and only the tips of Garrus' fringe are visible from over the back, making his way around to the front he finds them both asleep, back to back with datapads in each of their laps. As put out as he would have expected himself to be at the sight of a human girl asleep next to his son, all he can manage is a chuckle at the odd pair of friends passed out gracelessly on the couch, both of whom he covers with a blanket before heading off to bed himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Jane wakes up with a start, finding Garrus hovering over her where she was sprawled on their couch, now flat on her back without his support, feet still dangling over the armrest. He wears an amused expression, head tilted to the side in a birdlike fashion.

"Do you always sleep with your mouth open?" He teases with a low chuckle.

Shepard sits up and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand to make sure she hadn't drooled in her sleep and shoots him a glare but laughs when she can't keep a straight face, "No… shut up." She swings her legs down off the couch and stands, folding the blanket she'd been covered with. As she unties the braid that had nearly undone itself as she slept she runs her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame her disheveled appearance, noticing Garrus staring curiously.

"It's weird, isn't it? Hair." She smiles warmly at him, not wanting him to feel self-conscious for looking, mostly because she looks at him quite a lot while he's not paying attention. "You can touch it… if you want." She offers, turning her back to him and letting her hair fall down over her shoulders and back to give him access.

Garrus hesitates, but tentatively reaches out and gently grasps a lock of hair, rubbing it between his thumb and first digit before letting it fall between his fingers and withdrawing his hand completely. "Strange." He says inquisitively, "What's it for?"

"Well… different things. On our heads it's to keep our body heat from escaping too quickly in cold climates, on the rest of the body… mostly for holding scent to attract a mate."

"Huh… I thought humans didn't have a strong sense of smell." He responds with a quizzical expression.

"We don't… it's more subconscious, but it still affects us, alters our perceptions a little I guess." She shrugs, not really able to explain how pheromones worked with what little she knew about it.

"Hmm… humans…" He says, looking at her as if she was some sort of strange bug before giving her a smile. "Anyway… a couple friends invited me to the Arena today, would you want to come?"

Jane's eyes go wide and she grins, a distinctively Jane expression that Garrus is beginning to be able to predict. "Yeah… That's what I thought." He laughs and grins back at her, he can't help that her smiles are contagious.

"I gotta shower. Meet you there?" She calls out behind her as she rushes out the door and down to her apartment to shower and change.

Garrus is waiting outside the Armax Arsenal Arena chatting with two of his friends when Shepard gets there, and for the first time since she's met Garrus she's feeling a little out of place. She isn't sure if she'll fit in with his turian friends; she knows she should have expected them to be turian, it's not as if they make a point to befriend every human that passes by, but she feels a little like the odd man out. She decides to trust the fact that Garrus is one of the nicest guys she's met, human or not, and she'd bet a decent amount that he didn't hang around with a bunch of assholes. He looks up as she approaches and smiles, "Finally! You made it."

She rolls her eyes and returns his smile, "Yeah… well, I'm a girl. Takes a little longer to get ready." Garrus gives her a 'how should I know?' kind of shrug as Shepard looks to the other two and gives an awkward little wave, "Hey… I'm Jane."

They each respond kindly, giving their names as Kitaro and Sirion before the four of them head into the arena. After picking out armor and suiting up they chose weapons, Garrus went straight for a sleek looking scout rifle while Jane chose a lightweight assault rifle and the other two preferred SMGs. The four of them make their way into the battle area of the lower arena as the holographic environment forms and they duck behind cover before the first wave begins. It's clear to her that the three of them have been doing this together for some time as they quickly set up in various positions, sending signals to each other with hand signs and nods, shouting encouragement to each other as they took down the enemies one by one as Shepard skimmed along the outside of the area picking off the stragglers hiding behind cover.

After the first wave Garrus called her over and they huddled together like she'd seen in old vids of football games back on earth, discussing strategy and who should cover which side.

"Jane, you take point, I've got your six. Kitaro cover the left flank and Sirion get the right." She nods and takes her place front center as the others run to their places and the next wave of the simulation begins. Geth troops flood the arena floor and as Jane advances towards them Garrus stays at her back, taking down enemies that make it past Kitaro and Sirion with single shots of his rifle as she fires in bursts, her shoddy aim requiring at least 6 shots from her mock Vindicator before each enemy falls.

They nearly make it through the next round without incident until Jane, while covering the right flank, clipped her side diving into cover while dodging a flashbang grenade and went down hard. Garrus calls after her and runs across the arena to where she landed behind a crate while Sirion and Kitaro lay down covering fire and start a slow backwards walk falling back towards her position to form sort a sort of shield while Garrus checks on her condition.

By the time Garrus reaches her she's already scrambling to her feet, trying to catch her breath after the hard fall knocked the wind out of her. "It's okay Garrus, I'm fine…" She coughs and brushes herself off, but he takes no notice as he's all hands, skimming over her armor checking her for damage that could cause injury, he kneels down and inspects a small red stain forming at her knee and looks up at her with a worried expression. "I just skinned it, no biggie." She shrugs it off but he looks upset for some reason and she doesn't quite understand it.

"I'm sorry, I should have stayed with you. It's your first time." He laments, clearly feeling guilty over her very minor injury.

"Garrus… really, I'm perfectly okay." She gives him the most reassuring smile she can through her helmet. "But… that was so fun! And impressive, you guys really got this down. Glad I'm on your side." Her laugh visibly calms him and he pats her on the shoulder, relief washing over his features as his mandibles relax.

"Not so bad yourself, especially for a first timer." He smiles and she's surprised how his big wolfish grin is starting to become something that warms her heart instead of making her think twice about getting anywhere near him. "I uh… think that's about enough for you today. Let's go watch a vid or something."

"Sounds good, I'm probably gonna feel this tomorrow." She laughs ruefully as they leave the Arena and head back towards their apartments, already feeling the pull of her undersuit against the drying blood of her skinned knee.


	4. Chapter 4

Nearly a week later Shepard is sitting on her bed with eyes closed as Kyrie sweeps a brush dusted with gold tinted powder across her lids. Jane had met Kyrie the day she arrived at a kiosk while Garrus bought her groceries and each week she'd spend a few afternoons with her, listening to the gossip of the Citadel, browsing through shops and flipping through fashion magazines. Though it isn't exactly Jane's cup of tea, as she is a bit of a tomboy and would rather be at the arcade or trying to catch fish on the Presidium, it's good to have another girl around. Being a few years older than Shepard and mischievous to boot she was someone her mother would have referred to as a 'bad influence', Jane thinks maybe that's part of the reason she's drawn to her, she just never expected to be getting a makeover as a prerequisite to an 'undercover mission' as Kyrie called it.

"Ok… now, open and look up." Kyrie says and Shepard obliges, allowing her to sweep a spiky wand through her eyelashes.

So far, Kyrie had painted her fingernails and toes a glossy dark red color, curled her long dark hair and set out a dress and heels for Jane to wear, which Jane was currently eyeing as Kyrie swiped her lips with rouge, then dotted some along her cheekbones and rubbed it in.

"All done! You can go look now." Kyrie giggles excitedly as she steps back and checks out her handiwork.

Shepard gets up from the bed and starts shuffling toward the bathroom on her heels so she doesn't ruin the polish on her toes when there's a knock at the door. Changing direction, she goes towards the door and opens it to find Garrus. Jane immediately blushes, feeling goofy standing there in her pajama shorts and tank top with her hair done up and covered in makeup.

"Hey Garrus… wanna come in?" She opens the door wider so he can enter.

"Hey… uh… what's going on?" He asks looking at her incredulously for a moment, his brow raising and his head tilting to the side in confusion when he sees her feet. "What are you doing to your feet?"

Jane looks down and groans as Kyrie giggles in the backround, leaning down to remove the toe spreaders and toss them at her laughing friend. "Nothing… Kyrie was just giving me a makeover."

"For our secret mission tonight! You should come!" Kyrie announces excitedly.

"No!" Jane shoots her a look and Kyrie pouts, "His dad would kill him, and probably me too."

"Well… now I'm definitely coming." Garrus chuckles and sits in one of the chairs near the bed, "What's this 'secret mission' we're going on?"

Shepard sighs and heads to the bathroom to survey the damage Kyrie had done. "Kyrie talked me into making a fake ID so we could get some booze, and now we're trying to make me look older so I can actually get away with it." She turns to the mirror and shrieks at her reflection. "Oh my God, Kyrie. I look ridiculous!"

Kyrie snickers at Garrus and skips over to the bathroom, standing next to Jane in the mirror with a huge grin. "What are you talking about? You look so hot!" When Jane scoffs Kyrie rolls her eyes and goes back into the bedroom, grabbing Garrus by the arm and dragging him into the bathroom. "Tell her she looks good."

Jane feels guilty when he shifts awkwardly and his mandibles flutter nervously about his face as he looks her over in the mirror, "You look… uh… nice."

Seeing Jane blush and look down shyly Kyrie loops her arm in Garrus's and leads him back into the bedroom, "Alright handsome, you've done your part. How about you find a friend to bring and meet us across that liquor store on Zakera ward in an hour." She gives him a wink and a smile before grabbing the dress and shoes and returning to Shepard in the bathroom.

Kyrie hops onto the bathroom counter with a big grin and upon hearing the door close behind Garrus begins to prod Jane, "Ooooh… you like him!"

Shepard gives a small smile and shrugs, "Of course, Garrus is great, what's not to like?"

"No…" She shoves at her shoulder and snickers, "You _like_ him."

Jane feels the flush in her cheeks yet again and sighs, looking up at Kyrie with uncertainty, "Do you think it's weird?"

Kyrie responds with a bubbly laugh and brushes off her concern with a wave of her hand, "Pfft… not at all, he likes you too. I can tell. I just hope the friend he brings is just as cute." She shoves the dress and shoes into Jane's hands and slides off the counter. "Now hurry and get changed, it's time to get our buzz on!"

Jane exits the liquor store with a bottle of turian whiskey for Garrus and his friend and a bottle of peach rum along with cranberry juice that Kyrie requested, returning to her friend waiting across the street and passing the bags to her.

"Easy peasy." She says with a smile, feeling relieved at being done with the riskiest part of the evening ahead.

Kyrie inspects the contents of the bags as Jane nervously plucks at the hemline of the dress Kyrie lent her, "Yesss! Tonight is going to be so awesome!"

Shepard is still a bit preoccupied with being called out for liking Garrus and seeing him walking towards them with Kitaro makes her cheeks burn and her stomach fluttery, "Are you sure it's not weird? I mean… he's only 14."

"Oh my God dude… chill, he'll go off to the military in like a year. That makes him like 17 by human standards, he's at your level, ok?" She smiles brightly at Jane in reassurance, "Just have fun and quit worrying, here they come." She waves towards the turians approaching them.

Once introductions are over they head towards the warehouse district where they would be able to find a secluded area. Jane and Garrus trail a few paces behind Kyrie, who had already linked her arm in Kitaro's and was complimenting his fringe, they share a look and a chuckle when they overhear her tell him how she likes his orange markings because they 'match her hair'. They find a dark nook and arrange some small boxes as seats as Kyrie opens the bottles of liquor and hands each of them a cup.

"Should we play a game?" She asks rhetorically as she pours liquid into each of their cups, "Jane… truth or dare?"

"Ugh…" Jane sniffs the drink she's poured and takes a long swig before answering, knowing that if she chooses truth Kyrie will out her crush on Garrus, "Dare… I guess."

"Oooh… hmmm… I dare you to…" She eyes Shepard mischievously, "Show us your best dance move."

Jane groans and stands, moving around awkwardly without any music to give her a beat and with no natural rhythm whatsoever. She glares at Kyrie when she starts laughing hysterically and tosses the balled up bag from their drinks at Garrus when he joins in chuckling.

"Jane… what is that?! It looks like you're trying to hula with no hoop!"

"Oh shut up… everyone knows I can't dance! Assholes…" She tries to keep her face straight but a smirk pulls at the corner of her mouth despite her efforts. "Now it's your turn…."

A few drinks and a couple hours later they are all feeling a bit tipsy and after seeing turians in headstands, Kyrie singing into her hand like a microphone and a few unsuccessful attempts at light as a feather stiff as a board… they were ready to head home for the night. Kitaro offers to walk Kyrie home as they live in the same area while Garrus and Jane gather the empty cups and bottles and head towards their apartments together.

As they're walking through a dark corridor towards the end of the warehouse district nearing the elevators their path is blocked by a sinister looking human man likely in his early twenties who eyes them with a sneer of distaste. Jane mirrors his expression, cocking a brow as if to question what his problem is.

"Hey pretty… this thing bothering you?" He gestures to Garrus with a tilt of his head.

"No, he's not. You are. Move." She wastes no time with niceties, this guy is looking for trouble.

"What's he your boyfriend?" He scoffs and laughs disdainfully.

At that Jane can hear a low growl coming from Garrus next to her and wishes she could growl herself. She reaches down and takes Garrus's hand, interlocking her fingers in his and glaring defiantly up at the man. "So what if he is?"

Garrus watches her for a moment trying to ignore the flip of his stomach as she took his hand. At this point he's both impressed by the lack of intimidation she's displaying and worried that she's getting in over her head with this guy. He squeezes her hand and gives her a small shake of his head as if asking her not to continue.

"Heh… might just have to get rid of 'im, no alien's getting such a hot piece of ass while I'm around." He grins wickedly and licks his lips as his eyes drag over Shepard.

She lets out a laugh that sounds as if he'd said something hilarious before levelling her gaze at him, "You try it."

He chuckles and steps toward her, looming over her threateningly. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Garrus pulls at Jane's hand but she only steps closer, getting up in the guy's face and looking more furious by the second, "I'm gonna fuckin' hit you asshole!"

"Jane…" Garrus tries to pull her away from the volatile man as he advances on her again with a menacing laugh.

"Do it."

With that a wide grin spreads across Jane's delicate features and she lets go of Garrus's hand, raising them in front of her face and taking a defensive stance.

"I warned ya," She says with a shrug and for a moment Garrus isn't sure how the hell she's going to throw a punch when he was just inches from her. Jane quickly transfers her weight onto her back foot then pushes forward, throwing an elbow instead of a fist and connecting with the side of the man's nose.

To her delight the man stumbles back a few steps, blood rushing from the busted bridge of his nose. He recovers quickly, one hand cupping his bleeding nose and the other grasping around her neck and pushing her up against the cool metallic wall. Though, in all the commotion the man seemed to forget her angry turian escort, the only warning of his attack being the choked laughter from Jane.

"Big mistake…" She gasped out and smiled as his brow quirked just before Garrus's fist landed a hard punch to his temple, landing him unconscious on the floor.

"Thanks," She wheezes, rubbing at her throat where he'd grabbed her.

Garrus shakes his head and sighs, "You're crazy you know that? Come on," he takes her hand in his, "let's get out of here before someone finds him." They walk back to their apartments in silence, both still a bit in shock from the attack. Every now and then she glances down to their joined hands and can't help but smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Jane walks into C-Sec the next morning to find Officer Tiberius Vakarian waiting for her in the lobby, and by the look of him something was wrong. He stands stiffly, hands clasped behind him as if restraining himself physically, his mandibles press tightly against his face as he fixes her with a stern look.

"Shepard, in my office." He orders and Jane nearly winces at the sharp tone.

She follows him down the hallway and into his office where he closes the door behind them; Garrus gives her a sympathetic look from where he's sitting in front of his father's desk, likely having already gone through a verbal lashing that morning.

"Sit." He barks harshly, pointing to the chair next to Garrus.

Jane obeys, taking a seat and watching as he rounded the desk, resting his palms on the desktop and hovering over them ominously. He studies each of them for a moment and Garrus seems to shrink under his steely gaze.

"This morning a man came in to report an assault, claiming he was attacked by two adolescents last night while taking his break outside the warehouse where he works." He begins, sitting across from them, drumming his talons impatiently as he watches the realization settle over her features. "Would you care to explain why the description of his assailants matches the two of you?"

"Father it wasn't her fault…"

"He threatened us…"

They both begin, only to be cut off by the booming voice of Tiberius.

"Enough! Garrus, I've already heard your explanation. I want to hear what Jane has to say." He sets his eyes on Jane and leans forward, "And you will tell the truth or the two of you will be separated for the remainder of your stay here on the Citadel."

She looks down at her hands which she had unconsciously started wringing in her anxiousness and begins to tell him what happened. When she's told him everything she peeks up through her lashes to see him, seemingly deep in thought, elbows leaning on the desk and hands steepled in front of his face and hiding what little of his expression she could read.

"My hope is that in explaining the events of last night and your following actions you have realized why what the two of you have done is wrong." He leans back into his chair and sighs, "Not only did you put each other in serious danger by behaving recklessly, but you have put your own futures in jeopardy by breaking the laws of the Citadel while interning at C-Sec. The two of you are lucky that Warren convinced that man not to press charges as I would not have put my badge on the line to defend your behavior."

He stands and moves toward the door, "Both of you are suspended from your C-Sec duties for the next three days. Garrus, you are not to leave the apartment, you'll use this time to think about the possible consequences of your actions. Jane, I suggest you do the same." He opens the door and gestures for them to leave, closing the door behind them without another word.

Jane lets out a heavy sigh as they stand in the hallway outside his father's office, "Garrus, I'm so sorry. I should have known better, I didn't mean to drag you down with me."

To her surprise he chuckles and gives her shoulder a squeeze as they make their way towards the exit, "It's not the first and likely not the last time I'll find myself in this position and honestly I expected worse. I wanted to come; it's not your fault. I've never been very good at following the rules." He smiles, eyes gleaming with mirth.

Jane scoffs but returns his smile, "Such a rebel."


	6. Chapter 6

While Jane and Garrus spent the next week under house arrest and trying to earn back the trust of his father, Kyrie and Kitaro hadn't missed a beat and Jane finds herself helping Kyrie get ready for a date. To say that Kyrie had a crush would be a vast understatement as all Jane had heard for the last week was how amazing he was. She smiles as Kyrie comes out from the bathroom in a short sundress and does a twirl, giving her a questioning look.

"Nah… too dressy, and movie theaters are always cold." Jane says as she gets up from the bed and heads towards her closet, "Keep it simple, he might feel intimidated if you show up like that." She grabs a pair of slim fitting jeans and tank top followed by a cropped leather jacket to accentuate the curve of her waist and tosses them to Kyrie in the bathroom doorway.

Jane hears a quiet beep from her pocket and pulls out the direct link comm device that she and Garrus had been using to communicate while he was grounded and connects it, smiling to herself when she hears his voice.

"Sparrow, got a status update for me?" He asks and she chuckles at the nickname he'd started calling her during their arena matches when he'd learned of her interest in birds, though she'd rather be a painted bunting or something more glamorous it didn't make for much of a name.

"Robin will be ready in five, Blue Jay; do you have an ETA on Cardinal?" There is a moment of silence while he checks in with Kitaro before he responds.

"Cardinal is ten minutes out. Meet me at the rendezvous point in 15?"

"I'll be there!" She responds as Kyrie emerges from the bathroom.

"You know… we could always make this a double date." She suggests, wiggling her eyebrows at Jane.

"Um… have you met Tiberius?" Jane laughs and shakes her head, "I doubt he'd be cool with Garrus dating me, and I really don't wanna be on his bad side…again." She brushes off the suggestion knowing it's just an excuse, as much as she likes him she's too afraid to ruin their friendship and cause awkwardness between them for the rest of her stay if he doesn't feel the same. "Anyway… Kitaro's almost here. You look awesome! I'm gonna go catch up with Garrus, good luck!"

Kyrie gives her a tight hug and smiles nervously as Jane leaves with a wink and a thumbs up. She heads to the café near the theater where Garrus waits for her, passing a rather anxious looking Kitaro on her way. She slides into the booth next to Garrus, who had graciously ordered her a plate of nachos knowing they were her favorite.

"Oh man, you're the best!" She grins and digs into the cheese covered chips, "I passed Kitaro on the way here, he looked terrified."

Garrus scoffs and nods, "Yeah, he wanted us to come along, take the pressure off I guess."

"Yeah, so did she, as if they haven't been hanging out every day since they met without us." She laughs softly, trying to ignore the urge to scoot over closer to him.

"There they are," He whispers, leaning in closer to her and gesturing toward their friends who were standing in line to enter the theater.

Kitaro still looks a bit stiff but his arm is wrapped around her waist and she is smiling up at him affectionately. Her stomach flips a little at the thought of Garrus wrapping his arm around her; ever since they'd held hands she'd been craving his closeness, and found herself wanting to reach for his hand more and more each day much to her frustration.

"They're cute." She says with a wistful sigh, feeling happy for them but slightly jealous at the same time.

Garrus eyes her for a moment, noticing her slightly sad smile and wondering what was behind it. "They are. Maybe next time we should tag along."

Jane feels the intense heat rise to her cheeks as she blushes and nods, "That would be nice."

Her heart nearly skips a beat when he gets up and extends his hand to her, "Come on, let's kill some time and see what kind of trouble they get into next."

She takes his hand and for the next hour or so they browse various shops and pop into the arcade. Garrus wins a stuffed pyjak from the claw machine and gifts it to Jane before they head back towards the theater, just in time to see their friends leaving and trail them. When they near Kyrie's apartment they duck into a nearby hallway and Garrus peeks around the corner.

"What are they doing?" Jane whispers.

"Cardinal and Robin are approaching the nest." He whispers back.

"You're a dork," She laughs and he chuckles, "Lemme see."

She scoots closer towards the edge and he switches places with her, allowing her to lean over and spy on the couple. They are standing close, his hands resting on her hips and her arms draped around his cowl; he dips his head down and nuzzles her forhead with his own. Jane giggles quietly when Kyrie raises up to her toes and kisses him, causing him to pull back in surprise momentarily. Her giggle piques Garrus's curiosity and he leans around her to look at what she was laughing at. His eyes widen at what he sees and his heart beats faster at the sight of his friends in such an embrace; relationships between humans and turians are something that he'd never considered before but seeing them he can't help but imagine himself and Jane in their place.

Jane watches for a moment before turning back towards Garrus, consequently pressing their chests together since he was still leaning around her to see, "I think their date went well." She laughs nervously, feeling slightly intoxicated by his closeness.

"Very well I'd say." He chuckles lowly and it reverberates through her.

"We should probably go." She forces out, feeling a little overwhelmed by the butterflies in her stomach and the heat of his proximity.

He nods in agreement and they make their way back to her apartment. They awkwardly stand outside her door for a moment, as if both of them are unsure of what to do and for a moment she wonders if he's going to make a move.

"Well… that was interesting." He says finally and smiles uncomfortably, "Have a good night, Jane. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." She smiles back at him, feeling slightly disappointed as he releases her hand and heads down the hall to his own apartment.

Jane walks into her apartment to see the screen on her computer flashing with an urgent message. Seeing it's from her mother she groans and sits, pulling up the message.

Hannah Shepard's face comes up on the screen and she smiles lovingly, "Jane… we've been reassigned to a new post. I know it's disappointing, but we've got to cut your internship short. C-Sec has been notified, your shuttle leaves tomorrow morning. Dad sends his love, see you tomorrow honey."

Jane closes the message, trying to fight back the tears stinging her eyes as she hugs the stuffed pyjak Garrus had given her to her chest and gets up to start packing.

The next morning Garrus walks into C-Sec to find Jane embracing his father in one of her awkward hugs, a suitcase at her feet. He feels his heart drop as she goes over to Officer Warren and gives him a hug as well, saying her goodbyes. When she turns and sees him her smile falters and she walks over to him, reluctantly pulling her suitcase after her.

"We're being reassigned." She explains, her voice thick with held back emotion. "Walk me to the shuttle?"

"Of course." He replies quietly, taking her suitcase for her and walking with her to the elevator. Once inside he realizes this is probably the last time he will see her and he lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I wish I didn't have to go." She looks up at him, tears she's been trying to hide clinging to her lashes. "Don't forget me."

"Never." He promises, giving in and reaching down to pull her close.

She wraps her arms around him, resting her head against his chest and hugging him tightly, not wanting to let go. "Promise you'll write me."

"I promise." He says and as the doors to the elevator open she feels a sudden rise of panic, this is it. Knowing it's now or never she slides one of her hands to the back of his neck and pulls him down to her, pressing a soft kiss on his mouth plates before pulling back. She giggles at the surprised expression on his face quickly changing into a baffled grin as she steps back and grabs the handle of her suitcase.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" She exclaims as she exits the elevator, her heart both beating so hard she thinks it might burst and breaking at the same time as the doors close after her and he's gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Garrus lounges on the couch in his apartment on the Citadel after his shift at C-Sec scrolling through message logs from the last six years, specifically messages between him and Jane. His mandibles spread into a smile when he reads the first message he'd received minutes after she boarded the shuttle and left the Citadel saying simply, 'Missing you already!'

He reads through several messages they exchanged over the next year; vids that he'd sent her from his bunk during his first few months of basic training, photos of his graduation and receiving official citizenship, short vids from her in return showing him the sights at each new post her family traveled to and lived.

Garrus opens a vid from a year later and chuckles softly to himself as Jane's excited face comes into view, taking up the entire screen as she turns on the camera before stepping back to talk to him. "Garrus! I got accepted into the engineering program!" She squeals, "I turn eighteen in a few weeks and I can start training! I miss you!" Jane moves toward the camera again, giving him a smile and holding up a sign that he doesn't know the meaning of but has become a fixture of her vids and pictures to him before turning off the vid feed.

Jane comes into view as he opens the next vid and does a twirl, showing off her new uniform. "I am officially categorized N1! I leave for the villa next week!" She sighs and sits, resting her chin in her hand, "I'm so excited, but I won't be able write as much from the field. I'll tell you everything when I'm back!" And there it is again, the hand sign eclipsing her smile just before the screen goes black, first and pinky fingers pointed up while the middle two bent down and her thumb extended out to the side.

He scrolls past a few more vids that he'd sent her of him and his squad mates skeet shooting and feels his heart warm at the compliments she showered upon him in the next letter and how she said she missed being at his side in their arena matches. Further down he skims past letters regarding his leaving the army and starting work at C-Sec when he receives a ping. He taps the prompt and smiles at the alert, vid call from J. Shepard, and opens the connection with no small amount of surprise as he hadn't heard from her in months.

"Hey stranger," He says when her face comes into view and he can see from the background that she's walking through a familiar looking busy area and seems a bit lost.

"Garrus!" She sighs in relief and beams at his image on her omni tool, "I'm here on leave! I'm on my way to your apartment now… oh wait… I think…"

Garrus nearly jumps out of his skin when there's a series of loud knocks on the door behind him. He gets up and walks over to the door groaning when he pulls up the security feed and sees Shepard standing outside. He looks down at himself, clad in just a pair of lounge pants, "Uh… hold on just a sec, Jane."

He closes the connection on his omni tool and moves to go to his room and grab some clothes when she sighs and raps her numerous fingers on the door anxiously, "Oh come on just open up! I've been waiting to see you forever!" He chuckles and keys in the unlock code on the door's console and heads to his room to grab a shirt as the doors slide open.

Shepard enters and sets down her bag as he slips stealthily into his room, standing in the living room for a moment and peeking into his room enough to get just the slightest flash of his bare back before he pulls his shirt down over himself and returns to the living area where she is waiting. She greets him with a warm smile and rushes into his arms and wraps her own around him, grateful when he returns the gesture, holding her tightly against his chest. "I've missed you so much!" Jane gushes and gives him a squeeze before pulling back.

"Me too. How long are you on leave?" He asks, looking down at her affectionately and releasing her from the hug. He takes a moment to take in her appearance as all he'd seen recently were short vid clips of her; much had changed over the last six years, loose flowing locks now pinned into a tight bun while her previously lanky body had grown curvy and soft and she's wearing an off duty uniform instead of the casual jeans and t shirts she used to don more often than not when they'd first met.

"I leave tomorrow, but I'm all yours until then." She reaches down and takes both of his hands in hers excitedly and his heart beat picks up in tempo, "What should we do?"

"Hmmm…" He hums for a moment, thinking. "Are you hungry? There's a great sushi place that just opened, we can grab a bite and catch up, then maybe drinks?"

"Sounds great," She smiles and releases his hands a little reluctantly, "I'll go change and we can go."

Jane starts rummaging through her bag and pulls out a pair of shorts and a tank top and heads towards the bathroom to change and he follows suit, changing into a more suitable outfit and pulling on his boots. A moment later she emerges looking much more like the Jane he remembers, _his_ Jane _._ "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." Garrus stands and opens the doors for them, keying in the lock code as they exit and draping his arm over her shoulders. "How did you find me anyway?" He asks with a chuckle.

"I stopped by C-Sec on my way in and talked to Warren and your dad." She smirks and wraps her arm loosely around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder as they make their way towards the restaurant and enjoying the closeness after being away from him for so long. "He missed me, I could tell."

Garrus tenses slightly as her arm slides around his waist and her hand rests lightly on his hip, knowing she likely has no clue that it's a rather intimate place to casually touch a turian and what kind of an affect it would have on him. "He has asked about you a few times." He replies with a soft laugh, trying to ignore the heated feeling of her being so close to him.

They reach the restaurant and once they're seated begin to catch up on what they'd both missed in each other's lives over the last few years. Shepard's heart swells with warmth as she listens to him tell stories about his time in the military and more recent C-Sec experiences, she'd been missing being able to talk to him and just hearing his voice and seeing his mandibles flare into a smile made everything she'd been through recently fade into the back of her mind. Jane can't believe how much he's changed; for one, he's huge, well over six feet tall and much broader at the shoulders than she remembered him being. His fringe is much longer and his facial plates more defined and while she'd always thought he was cute, now she finds him strikingly handsome and curses the grainy vids for not doing him justice all these years. Who'd have known her best friend would grow up to be so hot?

She cuts off these thoughts as they finish their food and make their way to the bar. Jane opts for a hard cider while Garrus orders three fingers of turian whiskey and makes his way to a booth near the dance floor. Jane sidles up next to him in the booth and sighs, leaning back against the soft padding of the booth. "This is so nice; I wish I had more time to visit."

Garrus nods in agreement and downs half of his whiskey in one gulp, "So do I. But you know you've always got a place here if you ever want to stay longer." He grins at her, "Maybe even work at C-Sec, get the gang back together, just like old times."

She giggles in return and sets down her bottle after taking a swig and relishing the fizzy sweet apple flavor that dances across her tongue, "I'd love to! But in the morning I head to Akuze and who knows what after that. If only I could choose my assignments." She sighs, wishing she could take time off and visit whenever she wanted, which was pretty often.

"Yeah, I know how it goes… but it never hurts to remind you that you're missed." He says somewhat bashfully and looks towards the dance floor, finishing off his drink and wondering what they should do next.

They sit in comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company as Jane nurses her cider. She doesn't often indulge in alcohol and one drink seems to be having more of an effect on her than she'd anticipated, seemingly amplifying the throbbing bass of the music in the club and dulling her perception slightly. Garrus leans into her to tell her over the music that he was going to get them another drink and she shivers unconsciously as his warm breath caresses her neck and sends a wave of excitement through her.

She watches as he saunters over to the bar, leaning on it with one elbow and giving the bartender the order and as her eyes lazily move over him she realizes that she's checking him out. Now, it's one thing for her to notice that he's good looking, and quite another for her eyes to linger on him as if trying to remember every detail. Jane tries to snap herself out of it as he returns to the table only to have her attention pulled to the dance floor where a very familiar and very excited looking Kyrie is pushing through dancing patrons and heading their way.

"Oh my God! Jane!" She exclaims, her face red and dominated by a huge grin, "And Garrus!" Kyrie plops down next to Jane in the booth and hugs her tightly, "I haven't seen you in forever why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"It was last minute and only for today," She gasps at Kyrie's sudden embrace and laughs, "I'm glad to see you though!"

"You better be!" She laughs and nudges Jane, "What are you guys doing after this?"

"Eh… we hadn't quite figured that out yet," Garrus chimes in, glad to see Kyrie but also wanting to keep Shepard all to himself on such a short visit.

"Great! You guys have got to come over, I have the best idea!" Kyrie gives them each a mischievous smile and they share a look of uncertainty before Jane gives her a shrug and finishes her drink.

"I'm in if Garrus is."

Garrus groans and nods, "I'm in, but I'm finishing my drink first. Spirits… I know I'm gonna need it." He chuckles darkly and knocks back the rest of his drink, shaking his head at Jane's attempt to chug the remainder of her cider before getting up to leave the booth, they were in for a night of trouble if he knew anything about Kyrie.


	8. Chapter 8

Kyrie tosses Jane a handful of strings connecting small bits of fabric and grins, "Here, you can wear this!"

Jane balks and laughs whole heartedly, barely able to believe she'd let Kyrie talk her and Garrus into swimming and even more surprised that she actually expected her to wear the tiniest bathing suit she had ever seen. "You've got to be kidding me. This won't cover anything!"

Kyrie just giggles and shrugs, "Well… that's the only extra I have so it's that or your birthday suit!"

Jane disappears into the bathroom with a groan, stripping off her shorts and tank top and strapping on the tiny bikini, tugging at the material in a failed effort to cover more of herself. She briefly considers wearing her shirt over the suit but decides against it knowing Kyrie would tease her relentlessly and she knows she shouldn't be so self-conscious after she'd been seen naked by many in the communal showers aboard Alliance vessels. Still, the thought of Garrus seeing her so exposed put a knot in her stomach, an unignorably clear sign that her once innocent crush on her best friend had returned with vengeance. Reluctantly, she bundles her clothes in her hands and wraps a towel around her hips, returning to the bedroom where Kyrie waits.

"Yeooow!" Kyrie catcalls and whistles at her, "Lookin' good girl! Garrus is gonna lose his shit." Her grin widens in her signature mischievous fashion, "Speaking of Garrus… time has been good to him, very good."

Jane laughs softly and sighs, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, "Yeah… I definitely noticed."

"Well come on!" Kyrie drapes her arm casually around Jane's shoulders and leads her out towards the kitchen where her boyfriend Nate and Garrus were making drinks.

Jane is immediately relieved that Garrus's back is turned towards her because she wasn't expecting to find him wearing nothing but a pair of tight fitting trunks that clung to his hips and thighs. She feels her stomach flip as her eyes take in his nearly naked form and she pulls back slightly against Kyrie who simply gives her shoulder a squeeze and pushes her forward. Within a few paces she finds herself at Garrus's side at the counter, trying to keep her eyes off him as Nate hands her some sort of fruity mixed drink which she accepts graciously.

Kyrie grabs a few bottles of liquor and shot glasses and assembles them along with some sliced limes and a salt shaker on a tray before heading down to the pool room and beckoning for the others to follow. Jane can feel the heat of Garrus's eyes on her as he trails a few steps behind her and she takes in a deep breath before nervously sipping on her drink as she tries to calm her ever more rapidly beating heart. They reach the pool after a short walk down the hall and are immediately splashed with cool water as Nate jumps into the pool followed by a shriek from a surprised and very wet Kyrie who retaliates by chucking a beach ball at his head when he surfaced.

Jane can't help but smile at the rich guffaw from Garrus at their friend's playful ness as she settles onto one of the plastic lounge chairs at the pool's edge and he takes a seat next to her. "Not going in?" He asks curiously with a brow plate raised.

"I will… just gonna finish this drink. How about you?" She probes, taking advantage of the view of his naked plates and leathery skin while he adjusted the back of the chair to be more comfortable.

"Nah… I don't do cold water, I might hit the hot tub a little later though." He replies as Kyrie appears at his side and hands each of them a red shot in a test tube style glass, giving Shepard a wink that left her wondering. What is this girl up to now?

Garrus thanks her and tries to toss back the liquor only to find that it was firmly molded into the tube, "Kyrie… what is this?" His confused expression endearing as he examines the mystery shot.

"It's a jello shot! Just slurp it out!" Kyrie laughs.

Jane successfully sucks the jello from the tube and swallows the sweet and slightly bitter blob while Garrus continues to struggle, snaking his tongue into the tube and curling it to scoop the shot into his mouth with no small amount of effort. Kyrie giggles at the awkward display, squealing and skipping away when Garrus gets up and stalks towards her menacingly, attempting to escape his wrath only to be easily caught.

"Alright, you… very funny." He chuckles and loops an arm around her waist, tossing her easily into the pool with a loud splash. Garrus turns to see Jane red in the face from laughter and waves a finger at her in a chastising fashion, a grin filled with mirth spreading across his face as he moves towards her. "Yeah that's enough from you, too."

Jane scrambles off her chair and bolts to the side but not quickly enough as his hand closes around her wrist and pulls her back towards him before scooping her up into his arms and pitching her into the pool. Jane can hear his deep throaty laugh as she resurfaces and splashes him when he gives her a smug smile and extends his hand to help her out of the pool.

"Thanks," She breaths heavily as she takes his hand and grips it, planting her feet against the wall of the pool then allows him to attempt to pull her out only to pull back and push off the wall, sending her deeper into the water and dragging him in as well.

Garrus's reaction is priceless, he comes to the surface with a high pitched yelp frantically swimming towards the edge. He grips the lip of the pool and pulls himself most of the way out only to be caught by Jane gripping his ankle and pulling him back under. She releases him after a quick tug and giggles as he thrashes to the surface, shaking the water off his fringe like a wet dog before dunking Jane's head under the water as he makes his way back towards the edge with a laugh of his own.

Jane comes back up and gasps, brushing the wet strands of hair from her smiling face and holding her hands out in front of herself, "Truce!" She laughs, "Okay okay… I'll be good."

"I hope so, for your sake." He teases with a snicker and grips her waist, lifting her out of the water and onto the ledge before pulling himself out to sit next to her.

Garrus shudders slightly at the cool air caressing his wet body and looks down at Shepard, her smooth skin quickly covered in tiny bumps from the cold water slicked over her and pebbles seeming to appear beneath the triangles of her bikini top. He slyly examines her toned arms and slim waist, her strong muscular legs and down to her feet that seemed too flat and her toes too numerous. He's especially fond of her slender neck and delicate looking collar bones though his eyes are drawn back down to her breasts and he wonders why there are so many different shapes to humans; while Kyrie was short and curvy with large heavy breasts and an overall softer look to her, Jane was tall and lean with high small breasts and a more angular body type, more like a turian he thinks bemusedly. She shivers visibly under his intense gaze, sucking in a breath through her teeth and rubbing her hands over her arms to warm them, waking him from the spell she'd unknowingly cast over him. "Wanna get in the hot tub? It's freezing out here being wet."

"You read my mind," He says and stands, extending his hand to her and pulling her to her feet before they make their way to the jacuzzi.

Jane gasps softly as she steps into the water which feels extra heated due to her chilled skin and sinks into the warmth, instantly feeling herself relax into the bubbling water. Leaning back she rests her head against the edge and watches as Garrus slowly lowers himself into the water across from her. First to disappear into the water are his large two toed feet followed by his long spurred legs and she enjoys watching the ropy muscles flex as they support his weight going down the few steps leading into the hot tub. She notices a distinct lack of any bulge in his groin area and some plates poking out from beneath his suit and she wonders what exactly he's got under there before her eyes move up along his mostly scale free abdomen where his skin appeared to be like a soft leather in stark contrast to the rather bony looking plating of his thorax and carapace that glistened with a sheen of wetness. Her eyes snap up to his face when she hears the low rumble of his laughter.

"You checkin' me out, Jane?" Garrus asks with a smirk and a cocked brow plate, sinking into the water up to his chest and props his arms on the lip of the pool to support himself.

Jane blushes and looks down in embarrassment, "Sorry… I didn't mean to stare; I've just never seen anything from the neck down."

"I don't mind, look all you want." He replies confidently and then in a somewhat darker tone, "I've certainly been enjoying the view."

Jane looks up at him in shock and by the rising heat in her cheeks knows that her blush is darkening at his words. "I… uh…" She begins only to be cut off by Kyrie and Nate sliding into the water along with them and a shot glass being shoved into her hand.

"Let's play a game!" Kyrie smiles and hands Garrus a shot as well, "Me and Nate on one team and Jane you and Garrus will be the other." She winks at Jane, the tension between her and Garrus hadn't been missed by her and she'd been wanting to get them together since they were teens; she hopes her plan puts things in motion.

"So, each team gets to ask the other team one question per round about their partner, if you get the question right, we take a shot, if you don't you have to do a body shot off your partner." Her grin is devious as she grabs a stiff card with a colorful wheel listing body parts in each color and an arrow in the center. "If you have to take a shot, you spin this to get where you do the shot from, if you chicken out, the other team wins."

Jane gives her a horrified look, though deep down she's somewhat glad to be forced into getting closer to Garrus. "Ugh… you're the worst. I'm in." She says with a laugh and gives Garrus an apologetic glance, hoping he isn't repulsed by the idea but the thought is immediately squandered when Garrus chimes in.

"Me too. Who's first?" He says, determined to hold his own among the small group of humans as well as completely ignorant to what a body shot actually is, though if it involves Jane he's willing to give it a try.

"I wanna go first!" Kyrie almost squeals and Jane sinks further into the water as if to hide herself, knowing she'd be Kyrie's target. "Jane… If Garrus had to give up one of his senses, what would it be?"

Garrus chuckles next to her as Jane thinks, "Hmmm…. I'd say taste, because anything else would diminish his combat abilities."

"Sounds about right!" Garrus grins, his mandibles spread wide and wraps an arm around Jane's shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "One point for team Shakarian! Looks like you guys have a shot to do."

Kyrie rolls her eyes and smirks, spinning the arrow on the card and laughing when it falls on the yellow foot space. "Nate you're up! I'm definitely not licking your foot!"

Nate scoffs and they both sit up on the edge of the hot tub, Kyrie sprinkles some salt on the top of her foot and nestles the shot glass between her breasts with a waggle of her eyebrows at Nate. Garrus watches intently as Nate drags his tongue along the top of Kyrie's wet foot then moves over her, clamping down on the shot class with his mouth and tossing it back before plunging his face back into her chest and shaking his head, causing them to bounce vigorously as he laughs heartily as Kyrie takes her own shot.

Jane laughs and shakes her head, "Our turn! Kyrie, if Nate was stranded on an island what three things would he want to have?"

"Oh geez… uh… beer for sure, probably either pizza or tacos and dirty mags." She giggles when Nate shoves her gently at her tease.

"Well, since I can't bring my girl I suppose I'll have to settle for Fornax. You know me so well!" He squeezes her knee and gives her a kiss on her rosy cheek.

"Boom! Time for a shot Shakarian!" Kyrie snickers and passes the card to Jane.

Jane accepts the card and sends the arrow spinning, trying to keep herself calm knowing that she's about to have some very personal contact with her best friend and mentally thanking Kyrie for making sure she had a good buzz going before getting to this. The arrow comes to a stop on the red section labeled chest and she feels her own chest tightening in anticipation as Kyrie's eyes light up in excitement across from her and she tosses Jane the salt shaker. Jane bites her lip and stares at the salt shaker for a moment as if it was something insidious and downs her shot before lifting herself from the water to sit on the edge. She leans back slightly and shakes some salt onto her chest, when Garrus moves in front of her in the water she takes his shot and for a moment ponders where to set it since it definitely wouldn't stay between her breasts as she didn't have sufficient cleavage. Jane settles on holding it in her mouth and leans back onto her elbows, allowing her legs to spread slightly and accommodate Garrus as he moves over her, looking a bit nervous himself.

Garrus leans against her slightly, looking up to her in as if in search of permission before dipping his head and dragging his tongue along the swell of her breast. Jane has to hold back a moan at the feeling, but she isn't sure whether it's the alcohol, his tongue on her or the way her thighs were brushing against his sides as he looms over her to lick the salt away with his slightly rough tongue. She feels the absence of his heat against her skin momentarily as he moves up to her mouth, clamping his own around the glass and locking eyes with her before tossing back the shot, retreating from his place between her legs somewhat reluctantly. Jane shudders slightly at the look in his eyes, it's a look she's never seen before making his cool blue eyes seem heated and dark.

She immediately misses the press of his body against hers when he pulls away and she slides back into the water next to him, her limbs feeling weak and her mind clouded by the rush of sensation. The next few questions they exchange are a blur as all Jane can focus on is Garrus; the low purr she could barely hear when she lightly sucked the salt from the skin of his neck, the slight tickle of his talons gliding up her leg as he licked salt away from her inner thigh, his hips jerking slightly as her tongue swept along the sensitive skin of his waist, the brushing of his plates against her lips in a pseudo kiss each time they exchanged a shot glass. Jane feels in a daze as she sinks into the hot water, rinsing off any remaining salt as Kyrie and Nate get up to make some food and turn on some music.

Garrus gets out of the hot tub and grabs a couple towels, wrapping one around his hips and offering his hand to Jane as she rises from the water and wraps the other around her. They share an awkward moment where neither knows what to say before he laughs softly and slides his arm around her, resting his hand on her hip and guiding her towards the kitchen where Kyrie and Nate were dancing provocatively to a catchy beat while Kyrie pours a bag of chips into a bowl and digs through the fridge for more snacks.

Jane starts to dance subtly to the music and finishes drying herself off before setting her towel to the side and joining Kyrie at the fridge while Nate and Garrus sat at the table and talked about playing cards.

"Hey girl, need any help?" Jane asks, leaning against the counter and smiling sheepishly at her friend.

Kyrie gives her a sweet smile and shakes her head, "I've got this covered. So… enjoying your night?"

"Yes. Very much so, it's been very… eye opening." Jane blushes and sighs, wishing she had more than a day to explore what was going on between her and Garrus.

Kyrie looks at her knowingly, a smirk spreading from her previously innocent smile. "I bet. This certainly won't be a night you'll forget." She snorts and leans in, whispering, "I'll bet you'll be thinking about that tongue of his on some lonely nights, God did you see him with that jello shot?! I literally couldn't have planned it better if I tried."

Jane socks her lightly in the shoulder and giggles, her cheeks increasingly red. "Oh man I knew you did that on purpose, you're so mean!"

"No… this is mean." Kyrie changes the song and a funky bass line starts out followed by rapping lyrics, she drapes her arms over Jane's shoulders with a grin and links her hands at her neck then pulls her closer and starts dancing on her seductively, putting on a show for the wide eyed guys at the table. Kyrie rolls her hips against Jane and grabs hers, making her move along to the music with her. When Jane looks over to Garrus he's halfway risen from the table as if about to pounce, eyeing her hungrily and the look in his eyes is enough to send a wave of heat through her body and a rush of wetness between her legs. She looks back at Kyrie when she feels her grip on her release and sees that Nate has taken his place behind her and takes a step back, bumping into Garrus's chest only to feel his arms enclose around her gingerly.

Jane presses back into him and he starts moving along with the music, she can feel how powerful he is as he moves against her and she feels a chill run down her spine at the thought of how much he must have to restrain himself when he handles her. She rolls her hips against his and bites her lip when he growls softly and grips her hips, pulling her ass tight against him and grinding back against her. Her heartbeat feels beats louder in her ears than the thumping bass of the music as she leans against him fully; not minding the feel of his rough plates against her bare back as they move together, her hand slips up around his neck and strokes under his fringe softly. His movements become more deliberate as she explores him with her fingertips and he dips his head down to nuzzle her neck where he can feel the heat radiating off her and unable to resist, he drags his tongue along the soft skin as he had earlier and pulls her closer when he hears her nearly inaudible moan in response.

Jane feels like if she wasn't in his arms she'd likely melt into a puddle at his feet, all her senses are overwhelmed by him; her heart is pounding fast and hard, she feels too hot and yet craves his heat, his hands on her and on God that tongue is like some sort of sweet torture that had caused a throbbing ache in her belly that told her they needed to leave, and fast. She pulls his mouth to hers when he moves from her neck and presses her lips to his plates, smiling against them in relief when he presses back against her and when her lips leave his he moves in for another. Jane presses her lips against his mouth more urgently, sliding her tongue out to trace the plates of his mouth until he gives her access, allowing her to stroke her tongue along his sensuously.

Garrus picks up kissing quickly and takes control, his tongue invading her mouth and engaging hers in an erotic dance. Though he's reluctant to break the kiss he knows he must, it's all becoming too much with her ass pressed against his groin, her mouth latched onto his and images from the night's events flashing through his mind and making him feel like if they were alone he'd tear the tiny bit of fabric she's wearing off her and mount her right there. Yeah, he definitely needed to get out of there. Garrus pulls back from her, breaking their kiss seemingly just in time as Jane was breathless as he leaned in to whisper to her. "Wanna get out of here?"

Jane turns to face him and nods, looking around and noticing that Kyrie and Nate had moved into the living room while she and Garrus were busy exploring each other and were now on the couch making out. "Yeah… let's go."

Luckily Garrus's apartment is pretty close to Kyrie's and after sneaking out it takes them only a few minutes before they're inside and Jane finds herself pressed against the wall, locked in a heated embrace as their hands roam over each other's bodies in rushed exploration, each of them desperate to discover as much of the other as possible. When Garrus slides her leg up over his hip and presses into her she lets out a strangled moan and pushes back into him, spurring him on even more and causing him to rut against her tentatively and pushing her over the edge.

"Take me to bed." Jane breathes heavily against his neck and slides her hand down over his stomach until she reaches the top of his swimsuit and moves to push her hand down past it only for him to gently grab her wrist and stop her. He'd barely been able to control himself all night and the last thing he wanted was to fully unsheathe himself into her hand and lose all capability of holding back.

"We probably shouldn't." He says, sounding more sober than she knows he is and somewhat disappointed as well. Truthfully, he hadn't expected things to go this far at all; he hadn't even been expecting her to visit today let alone to sleep with her. Things would be different if she wasn't leaving in a few hours, but he doesn't think he could take being with her for one night and then not seeing her for years. He feels her body slump slightly in his arms and he picks her up, enjoying the way she wraps her legs around his waist even though he knows he's likely ruined the night for both of them.

Jane looks up at him in confusion when he lays her down on his bed and takes his place next to her, pulling her close. "I thought… you wanted me." She says, looking away and feeling foolish even though he was putting out clear signals that he was enjoying their activities.

He sighs softly and presses his forehead to hers, "I do… very much. Just… not like this, I don't want to have you for one night and not know when I'll see you again. You're more than that to me, Jane."

"You're everything to me, Garrus." Jane squeezes her eyes shut to keep tears from spilling over and is glad that the room is pretty dark so he can't see her cry. She wraps her arms around him and pulls her body against his tightly, not wanting to leave and knowing she has no choice all she can do is cherish the last few moments they have together before she leaves for who knows how long. Garrus nuzzles her hair and sighs, pushing back his desire for her and holding her tightly as they both drift off.

The next morning Garrus wakes up in his bed alone, a written note in the spot where Jane slept the night before. He picks it up and groans, knowing he's missed his chance to say goodbye.

 _Garrus!_

 _Sorry for not waking you, but I'm about to miss my shuttle, slept in of course. Thank you for an amazing visit! I can't wait to come back and stay for longer! I'll message you when I'm back from Akuze._

 _Jane_

 _p.s. (drawn version of the strange hand sign she always does)_

He sets the letter down and plops back onto his bed, already regretting his decision to turn her down the night before and slightly upset that she left without saying goodbye, hoping he hasn't made things awkward between them.


	9. Chapter 9

Jane sits in her tent with her head in her hands, it had been four days since she'd left Garrus and she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. How could she be so stupid? Risking everything between them by trying to get into bed with him, and then just taking off like a coward. She hadn't known what to do when she woke up next to him, part of her wanted to stay but she knew that she couldn't, so instead she ran; ran from her feelings for him and her embarrassment at taking things a step too far. She tries to stop her mental chastising and focuses on her current situation, the mission on Akuze had been disappointing, what they thought would be a quick mission fixing the communications equipment of the settlement turned into a hellish day of loading body bags and identifying deceased colonists to send word of their fate to their families. Now she lays on her cot, trying to listen to the idle chat of her bunkmates and ignore her internal turmoil unsuccessfully.

Feeling restless, Jane gets up and exits her tent, deciding to go on a short walk to clear her mind or at least try to work through what she's feeling. She passes Corporal Toombs who was guarding their perimeter and gives him a wave on her way towards some nearby ruins where she could wallow in self-pity alone. As she wanders through the hallways of the crumbled skeleton of what could have once been someone's home she scuffs her foot against the ground, freeing a rock and sending it skidding across the rubble littered floor with a distracted kick before settling herself down and leaning against the mud brick wall. Jane rests her head against the wall and closes her eyes, enjoying the coolness of the once insulating bricks against her back when she feels a slight tremor.

At first it seems like nothing, some minor tectonic shifting on a relatively young planet certainly wasn't unheard of, but when she feels another stronger tremble beneath her she rises to her feet. All too quickly she feels the ground beneath her beginning to shake and she starts running towards the entrance of the ruins only to feel the ground collapsing beneath her as she tries to call out a warning to her unit not fifty yards away, something big is coming.

"Toombs!" Jane screams, scrambling towards the outer walls and safety, "Evacu…" She begins but is cut short by the ground giving way and sending her tumbling down into the unknown before the world goes black.

 _She wakes up slowly, feeling groggy from the copious amounts of liquor she'd consumed the night before as bit by bit the realization of her current position and the memories of the previous night come back to her. The room is dark and silent other than the soft sound of Garrus breathing; she feels the rise and fall of his chest with each breath and the warm huff of air that tickles her hair across her cheek as he exhales. She lays nestled against his chest, her head resting on the bicep of one arm that wraps around her shoulders while the other cradles her back, holding her close while their legs intertwine as if trying desperately to hold onto each other with every possible limb. Jane closes her eyes, trying to commit every detail of this to memory; she's never felt more content, more cared for or safe than in this moment and her desire for it to last forever only seemed to draw it's end nearer._

 _Jane feels as if her heart is literally breaking as she starts to pull away from him, taking in a shuddering breath as she tries to hold back her tears. Garrus stirs as she slips from his arms and rolls onto his back and releasing her unconsciously, still sleeping deeply enough for her to dress and pack without disturbing him. Standing at the side of the bed with her bag over her shoulder she looks down over him one last time, leaving the note next to him in the place she slept and pressing a soft kiss to his mandible. Leaving him is unbearable and she turns quickly, giving in to the aching in her heart she runs to the shuttle as if her pain is something that can be out maneuvered or left behind, quickly wiping away any tears that she is unable to contain._

Jane's eyes fly open and she struggles to breathe, a quick glance at her surroundings tells her these may be her last conscious moments and she begins to panic. The ground had given way and she'd landed in what looked like some sort of tunnel where she is now pinned beneath what appears to be one of the walls of the dilapidated structure she'd sought take refuge within and she curses herself for wandering alone and without any armor. She tries again to get a breath but she can only get in a wheeze raggedly, the heavy weight of the wall compressing her chest and asphyxiating her rapidly. Flailing wildly she manages to relieve a bit of the pressure, finally getting a gasp of air and from the stabbing pain she assumes she's broken a few ribs. After a moment of catching her breath she tries to push herself out from under the heavy mass trapping her only to feel an excruciating pain shoot down her leg telling her it's almost surely broken and momentarily, she gives up. She lies limply and sobs, crushed in more ways than one as she tries to figure out a way to survive this. How could she have not said goodbye to him? And now she'll never see him again.

The thought of never seeing him again, never hearing his voice or seeing his smile, never holding his hand or laying with him, never kissing him again, it's appalling to her and she is determined not to let it become a reality. This can't be how she ends; she doesn't deserve to die like this and she won't. Jane taps on her omni tool and thanks God when it works, then uses her omni blade and every bit of strength and adrenaline she has left to chip away at the wall pinning her while shielding herself with her other arm, eventually breaking off enough to allow her to scoot herself out from under it and push herself out of harm's way with her unbroken leg. Finally able to breathe unrestricted she sends out a distress call and lies back against the hard ground, trying to keep her leg as still as possible as the pain overwhelms her and she passes out yet again.

They land nearly an hour after receiving the distress signal, the three of them scanning the area for any signs of life among the destruction when he picks up a signal coming from what looks to be a caved in pile of rubble. He runs toward it, watching his footing as he starts to descend into the hole and calling out for any survivors. When he gets no answer he goes in further, searching for any heat signatures in the dark when he sees her, crumpled on the ground in the corner. Rushing to her he turns on his headlamp, and groans when he sees who she is, checking her vitals and praying to the Spirits that she'll survive. Her heartbeat is slow and her breathing shallow and uneven, being unsure of what internal injuries she may have makes him concerned about moving her and doing further damage.

"Shepard!" He nearly yells, panicking when she doesn't respond. "Shepard! JANE!" He's screaming now and her head lolls to the side and her eyes open slightly, looking glazed and he knows he has to get her out of there now. His team mates prepare a stretcher outside the hole as he scoops her into his arms, cradling her gently and climbing up the hill quickly then laying her onto the stretcher and strapping her down, they were going to have to move her quickly.

"We need to get her onboard asap, we'll contact her ship once we've got her safe." He says and the other two nod and lift the stretcher, the three of them running swiftly towards their ship with Jane regaining some semblance of consciousness for a moment due to the jostling that is consequential to being carried by running turians.

"Don't you give up on me little Sparrow," He says in reassurance and she manages a meek smile before a wince of pain takes over and her eyes squeeze shut once again. "Spirits… we should have gotten here sooner, Garrus will kill me if you don't make it."

Jane wakes up in the med bay of a strange ship in much less pain than she had been in when she passed out and tries to remember what happened and how she got here. She doesn't have to wonder long as she turns her head to the side and sees her old friend passed out in the seat next to her bed and she can't help smiling at his sleeping form.

"Kitaro…" She whispers, he adjusts slightly in response to her voice, mandibles fluttering against his face but remains asleep. Jane sighs and closes her eyes, still unsure of how she ended up in this position but content to rest safely next to a trusted friend and happy knowing that she would live to see Garrus again.


	10. Chapter 10

Tiberius stands in the doorway of Garrus's office, his subvocal keening setting Garrus on edge as he wrings his hands, mandibles tight against his face and brow plates sloping down slightly in a worried expression.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Garrus asks, closing the report he was working on and trying to decipher the ominous look on his father's face.

"Where did Shepard say she was going when she left?" Tiberius clears his throat as if to disguise the concern interlaced in his usually authoritative tone.

Garrus moves to stand, now put fully on alert by his father's odd behavior, "Akuze. Why? What's wrong?"

Tiberius seems to wilt as Garrus confirms his fear, his rigid stance softening under the burden of the crushing news he has to deliver to his son. "Garrus… there was a thresher maw attack on a human colony on Akuze, the Alliance marine unit there was massacred." He almost doesn't want to meet Garrus's eyes as he continues, "But, I've checked the reports, she's not listed as killed in action…"

Before his father can finish his sentence Garrus is up and brushing past him; his heart pounds mercilessly against his ribcage as he storms down the hallway, feeling light headed from hyperventilation as he attempts to contact Jane, hoping that it wasn't her unit, that maybe she hadn't gotten there yet since it had only been four days. By the time he reaches his apartment he's tried and failed several times to bring her up on vid comm or even connect to send her a message.

Garrus spends the next few hours trying to get ahold of the commander of her ship to get an updated status report and communicating the information he acquired to her mother bit by bit. His mind reels as he discovers the events that led to the demise of 48 Alliance marines, leaving one known survivor and one soldier missing. Toombs, the lone survivor, reported that he was able to make it to safety after being warned by a fellow soldier nearby moments before the camp was attacked, but the rest were unfortunate enough to have been in their tents and were unable to evacuate in time. The maw's attack destroyed their camp and caused several cave ins of the tunnels beneath the ground surface, burying many alive as they tried to make their escape.

Garrus tries not to think of her alone out there, in some dark cavern or possibly buried beneath the sand and rock that had swallowed so many others. His stomach churns at the thought that maybe she would never be found; her body cold and lifeless in an unknown grave never to be visited and he has to resist the urge to vomit as he comes up with another plan to find her. He can't let that night be their last together, he never even got to say goodbye.

Reinvigorated, he goes to his computer and pulls up a message from Jane dating a few years back when she was really into hacking. She'd picked it up right away and was brilliant, the girl could work wonders with electronics, whether it was bypassing security to access restricted files or rewiring the intercoms to their apartments to work as a two way radio and mess with his dad. This particular hack would prove very useful now as he follows her instructions, connecting directly into her omni tool through Alliance medical servers and accessing her vital monitors. His heart leaps in his chest as he connects but his joy is short lived as he realizes that he's only able to pull up the history and no current readings. Looking them over he sees several spikes in adrenaline followed by bouts of hypoxemia, then a plateau period of a few minutes before her heart rate rose significantly and that was it, her omni tool simply stopped transmitting data.

Garrus feels enraged as he gets up from the computer, wanting to smash his fist into it but instead sets his sights on the nearby coffee table, flipping it over with a hard yank, sending the inlaid glass in thousands of pieces skittering across the floor and feeling slightly satisfied at making something else just as shattered as he feels. Feeling defeated, he makes his way down the hall to his shower and gets in, letting the scalding water beat down on him as all he could have done differently ran through his mind. Maybe they should have never gone out for that drink, they would never have ended up nearly naked tonguing each other without Kyrie's influence, and that wouldn't have led to him turning her down; maybe things would have stayed the same as they always had between them and she would have left like she planned, at least he would have been able to say goodbye. His head rests against the wall of the shower as he thinks, he wanted to be close to her like that, to touch her, and she had seemed to want it as well, should he have just given in to her? Maybe if he had taken her to his bed she wouldn't have felt the need to run away from him in the morning, maybe she would have stayed.

He shakes the thoughts from his head, knowing that she wouldn't have stayed, no matter how amazing things had gone between them because she couldn't, but he can't help blame himself. His head lifts quickly when he hears a noise from the other room and shuts off the tap, wrapping a towel around his hips and bolting towards the pinging computer.

Jane smiles softly at the gentle caress of his hand across her brow and tilts her hand into his palm, his warmth relaxing her as she slowly opens her eyes, feeling sluggish and groggy from the pain meds and flinching slightly when she sees Kitaro leaning over her wearing a puzzled look.

"Sorry…" She laughs sheepishly and winces at the pain it causes, "For a second I thought you were…"

"Garrus." He interrupts with a kind smile, "You've been calling for him in your sleep. I've been waiting for you to wake up so we could contact your ship, and Garrus of course. I didn't want to get his hopes up until we had good news."

"Was I that bad?" She asks, somewhat incredulous.

"Let's just say that if Garrus were to find out that I had you and that I let you die… I wouldn't be far behind." He says with a chuckle and moves to reach behind him, grabbing her omni tool. "By the way, your omni tool is destroyed, but a few minutes ago this light came on."

Jane bolts upright and snatches it from his hand, examining it and smiling when she realizes why the med chip had been reactivated.

"Easy now… grabby." Kitaro teases and looks at what she's doing.

"It's him! It's Garrus… I told him how to hack into my omni tool if he ever needs me and can't get ahold of me. He's probably worried." She sighs and leans back against the bed, still feeling a bit embarrassed about their night together and nervous to talk to him. "Can we call him?"

"Of course." He scoffs as if it's a ridiculous question and cues up the call on the terminal next to her bed. It seems like forever before he answers and she feels like she's losing more and more control over her heart as each second passes.

Garrus opens the call, slightly disappointed when Kitaro's face fills the screen, not exactly who he wanted to hear from at the moment and as if reading his mind Kitaro speaks up quickly.

"Hey Gar… it's not me calling, not really." He grins and turns the computer towards Jane, "Look who I found!"

Garrus is immediately flooded with a sense of relief and he sinks down into the chair tiredly, his emotions being all over the place all day fully exhausting him. "I've been so worried…" He begins, his expression softening into a calm smile, "The reports said there was only the one survivor, thank the Spirits you've safe!"

Kitaro scoots the console closer to her bed so that she can take over and leaves them to talk, chuckling at her proudly showing off the contraption made of bolts and pins they'd affixed to her broken leg and boasting about how impressive her scar would be jokingly. He can just barely contain his amusement at how deftly they dance around each other, so carefully avoiding the elephant in the room with an uncommon grace. Best friends indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

Jane grips Kitaro's hand and winces as she takes a step, the other hand firmly planted on the support bar at her side. "I can't do it!" She growls at him in pain and frustration.

"Yes you can." He replies, starting to feel a bit exasperated himself. "Come on, Shepard, I know you want to stay on the bars because you can just use your arms. You need to build up your strength again."

Kitaro takes the hand in his and places it on his shoulder then places each of his on her hips to steady her, "Let go Jane, I've got you."

She glares at him and he matches her expression in annoyance, causing her to look down sheepishly before taking a deep breath as she moves her hand off the support bar and clings onto Kitaro's other shoulder, falling slightly forward into him and exhaling sharply as her leg nearly gives out under her. She pushes back a little to straighten herself and readjusts her stance to balance her weight more evenly before taking another step. It still hurts to put weight on the leg she'd shattered and she'd lost much of her muscle over the last few weeks of being mostly sedentary and as she tries to push her weight from the good leg to the bad she whimpers, feeling a bit defeated that after weeks of healing she could still barely stand on her own let alone walk.

"It's too weak," She laments, "I can't support my weight."

"That's why I'm here; to make sure you don't fall." Kitaro says takes a step back, still holding onto her but prompting her continue to move towards him."

"Oh?" She asks with a slight chuckle, "It looks like we're practicing for a school dance."

He laughs at that and shakes his head, not having noticed before that their position was rather comical. "Yeah, well, only you could make dancing such a pain in the ass, Jane."

"You're not exactly my ideal dance partner either." She smirks and gives him a wink as she hobbles towards the end of the parallel bars with his help. "Can you hand me the brace?"

"Not yet, you know walking ten steps isn't going to get you anywhere." He picks her up gently and carries her towards the sparring mat in the corner of the gym and sets her down, kneeling in front of her and holding up his hands for her.

Shepard scowls and lays back onto the mat, resting each foot in one of his hands and pushing against them in turn in a pedaling motion, "You know I hate the invisible bike, Kitaro. I look so stupid!"

Kitaro just shrugs his shoulders and pushes back into her, giving her resistance to work against. "It's not my fault you're too weak to stand; I've got to exercise you somehow. Unless you'd rather I leave you with Dr. Aelius." He grins at her indignant expression as she shakes her head quickly, as if to rush that idea away.

"No, I'll just take my chances with you I think." Jane sighs, being on a ship of turians was a bit daunting, and not all of them appreciated her presence, Dr. Aelius being one of them. She was unbelievably lucky that it was Kitaro who found her on Akuze and not a group of Batarian slavers or even a less tolerant group of turians and even luckier that they happened to be on their way to meet up with a group of Alliance soldiers to begin a joint project.

"Just a few more days and you'll have a human doctor to work with…" He begins but stops as her comm unit pings.

Jane nods to Kitaro and pulls up the call, a bright smile crossing her face when Garrus's image appears. "Hey you!" She says, slightly breathless from the undue amount of exertion it required for her to barely move her leg.

"Hey… just wanted to check in, what are you doing?" He asks amusedly, wondering why she answered out of breath and sweaty.

"I'm doing the invisible bike." She chuckles and shakes her head, turning the cam so Garrus could see how silly she looked with Kitaro at her feet serving as her pedals. "With Kitaro's help, of course, or I'd never do it."

Kitaro gives a small wave with an occupied hand and snickers, "Hey Gar… come get your girl she's driving me nuts."

Garrus manages a stifled laugh and shakes his head, "Sounds like Jane."

Jane sits up slightly and shoves her good foot forward, knocking Kitaro off balance and laughing at the dirty look he gives her before standing and offering her his hand. "You guys are both mean! Let me just get my brace on and I'll go to my room and call you back, Garrus." She says as Kitaro pulls her up onto her feet and begins to strap the hydraulic contraption onto her leg.

"Sounds good." Garrus says curtly before disconnecting, leaving Jane feeling somewhat confused as she holds onto Kitaro's shoulders while he secures her brace, knowing something has him upset but not knowing what. Once strapped in, she heads down the hall to her room for what is to be the first of many tense interactions.

Communication between Jane and Garrus becomes increasingly rare as the next couple of months go by as Garrus slowly distances himself from her. Their conversations had gone from long friendly chats to short exchanges that felt more forced than enjoyable as unpleasant thoughts began seeding themselves into his mind. He knew he should be more grateful towards Kitaro for being there for her, for rescuing her when he couldn't, but instead it had taken his confidence in himself and his relationship with Jane down a few notches. Seeing them together really stuck in his craw, turning his mind to a fertile breeding ground for jealousy and distrust. Perhaps if it was another turian he wouldn't be so worried, but knowing Kitaro has an attraction to humans made it all that much harder to watch them grow closer; every smiling picture of them together, every vid of their project's progress documenting their work together, every time he sees Kitaro in the backround when she calls and the way he puts his arm around her or rests his hand on her shoulder, it all just makes him want to take a step back. As much as he knows he should trust Kitaro, after seeing him with Kyrie it makes his blood boil to see him touching her like that, he could go for any human he wants, but not her… not his human. But she isn't his, and he can't be there with her even if she wanted him to be.

It didn't help that she'd been pinging him since he hadn't responded to her last message detailing the work she and Kitaro's unit were doing alongside an Alliance team. Knowing he couldn't shut her out forever, he finally calls her back.

"Hey stranger!" Jane smiles and waves at him through the screen as she comes into view. "Too busy for an old friend, I see." She ribs him teasingly.

"Sorry about that, just have a lot on my mind lately." He says simply, not wanting to hurt her but also not willing to be drawn into the warmth of her friendship when he felt so sour inside, as if his treacherous feelings were eating him from the inside out. "What's new?"

Jane sulks visibly and he feels a pang of guilt at seeing her mood fall before she quickly replaces her smile and goes on to fill him in. "So much! You know how we've been working on that new frigate? Still doesn't have a name yet, but I nicknamed it the 'Kinship' since it represents friendship between our species. Anyway, we've been building this Tantalus drive core, it's incredible! And you should see the cannons they're putting in; you'd be all over them!"

"It has been a while since I got to play with a big gun," He chuckles and leans back in his chair, feeling slightly more relaxed talking about guns, a comforting distraction from his internal battle.

"I wish you were here." Jane's tone sounds more somber as she rests her chin in her hands and tilts her head slightly to the side, as if remembering something. "Do you ever think about it? Our last night together?"

"Jane… I can't do this right now…" He sighs and looks down, his expression pained. He has been thinking about it, nearly every day he remembers how she looked, how she felt in his arms, her lips on his plates and their bodies pressed together in a heated dance. He couldn't keep her out of his thoughts and he hadn't been able to look at a turian woman in the same way since either, she was a fantasy he couldn't see past and it hurt too much to perpetuate any further.

"I think about it." She continues stubbornly, cutting him off. "I think about you… a lot." Her eyes search his through the monitor, piercing into him as if she can sense the storm raging beneath the surface.

"Yeah… well, who needs me when you've got a ship full of turians there, huh?" Garrus laughs feebly in attempt to hide that his façade is dangerously close to crumbling, though his bitterness shines through despite his effort.

"I do." Jane retorts with an incredulous look, her demeanor shifting from the warm openness of her trying to bring him closer again to defensive as she feels like she's being not so subtly accused of breaking some sort of unspoken agreement. "And whatever you're doing, it's not fair. What happened to us, Garrus?"

He fumes on the other end of their vid call, not sure whether his anger stems from his own self-loathing due to his insecurity and jealousy or if he's really just angry that he feels he's been replaced; either way, it wasn't something he wanted to explain to her. Part of him knows he's being unfair, he knows it's not her fault that Kitaro happened to find her and that they'd become close, but he couldn't manage to overpower his emotions in this situation so he chooses to avoid it altogether. "I'm sure Kitaro would be happy to oblige you of whatever you need." He spits, spite replacing the kindness usually laced into his voice.

Jane's eyes go wide in shock and her jaw clenches in anger, "How dare you?!" She nearly screams at him through the monitor, "He and I are friends; I wanted you, and it was you who turned me away, Garrus!"

"Not because I wanted to!" He yells back, slamming his fist into the desk. "I wanted to save what we had, and now it's destroyed anyway." Garrus stands and shakes his head as if to rid himself of his fury. "I can't do this." He says dejectedly before he disconnects, retreating to his room and isolating himself before he says or does anything else he'll come to regret.


	12. Chapter 12

Jane studies Kitaro as he sits across from her eating and making idle conversation with a few of their fellow crewmates, searching him for the source of Garrus's jealousy. Her eyes trace the sharp lines of his face and into the sweeping red markings emblazoned across the dark plates framing his face and along his fringe. His honey colored eyes are warm and expressive, making him almost as easy to read as any human counterpart and with an open friendly personality he can get along with just about anyone. Looking at him in this light she can see that he has significant appeal, strikingly handsome with a smooth rich voice and an inherent kindness that endears and fosters trust and camaraderie. While she can see why Garrus would see him as a threat, she couldn't see how it justified him behaving as if he were a passing infatuation instead of the man who's held her heart in his hands, albeit unknowingly, for the last six years; especially since she hadn't thought twice about him until Garrus suggested their involvement.

"Something on my face?" Kitaro's voice snaps Jane from her examination of him, she'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed she'd forgotten about the fork she cradled in her hand that halted halfway to her mouth as she all too obviously ogled her friend.

"No. Sorry." She laughs softly under her breath in embarrassment; avoiding eye contact as if it would stop the probing she knew was likely to follow her odd behavior.

"Ah… just checkin' me out, eh? You know, Jane, it's not polite to stare." He ribs her with a chuckle, but after noticing her dubious level of comfort he adds gently, "Everything alright?"

She drops her fork and sighs at the clatter of it landing on her tray, shaking her head in dissent. It had been a few days since she and Garrus had spoken and his words plagued her mind relentlessly, wearing her down to a messy ball of uncertainty. Jane brushes her hair back from her face in a show of frustration and gives Kitaro a rueful smile and a raised brow.

Kitaro responds with a raised brow plate of his own and groans, "Alright, let's find a quiet spot and you tell me what he did."

Jane has to laugh at how well he can read her, after spending so much time working together the last few months they had nearly developed a telepathic connection. "What makes you think it's about Garrus?" She challenges him as they clear their trays and head to the cargo hold where they would have some privacy.

He scoffs and gives her a toothy smirk, "All the two of you talk about is work and each other, things are going pretty well here so it if something's bothering you it's Garrus related." They enter the hold and each take a seat on some crates as the doors close. "So… what's wrong?" He says as he settles himself, propping his feet up on an adjacent crate to avoid his leg spurs, his tone conveying genuine concern.

For a moment she struggles to find the right way to tell him, not wanting to make him feel awkward, but decides there really isn't any way around just revealing the somewhat embarrassing truth. "Well… Garrus thinks we've got something going on. Or, rather that I want something to be."

Kitaro balks with a snort and choked laughter, "We… as in you and me?" He is so amused by the idea that she momentarily considers shoving his skinny ass off the crate.

"Shut up! It's not funny, he's really upset." She barks, sobering him significantly and feeling a little bad for it.

"I'm sorry, Jane, it's just… a little funny that he'd be so worried when you're basically obsessed with him." He sighs and shakes his head.

"I am not obsessed with him." Jane retorts defensively, a little annoyed at herself for being so transparent.

"Yes, you are." Kitaro replies and levels her with a look that says 'don't make me prove it'. "I can see why he would think maybe we would get involved; we've spent more time together in the last few months than the two of you had over the last six years and we've gotten pretty close. He's not here to see our dynamic; all he sees is that we're attached at the hip when he wants you there with him."

Jane nods in understanding as he continues, letting it sink in that maybe she had been a little insensitive in how casually she behaves around Kitaro and likely gave Garrus the wrong impression, especially after how their last visit ended with her basically running away. "I don't mean to pry, but… what happened between you two the last time you were together?"

She looks down and bites her lip anxiously, "Eh… copious amounts of drinking followed by my failing to jump him and then bailing in the morning."

He gives her a suspicious look, "And… how exactly did you manage this failure?"

She shrugs, trying not to feel the twinge of hurt she still feels from the rejection, "He said he didn't want something for one night."

"That's some impressive willpower he's got," Kitaro admits sounding slightly baffled, "You should have done that thing with your mouth that Kyrie used to do, he wouldn't have said no then." He says with a snicker.

Jane gives him a glare and shoves at his crate with her foot, "Shush… I didn't even get a chance."

"Alright, Gimpy, let's go. I'll set him straight." He says and heads towards the exit with her following close behind.

"Whatever… I barely even limp anymore!" She says to his back, grateful for his counsel and hopeful that he can help resolve the issues between the three of them.

Garrus opens the message he received from Kitaro earlier that day when he returns home from work, dreading what he assumes will be some sort of confrontation about his behavior regarding Jane. He knows he wasn't justified in his actions towards her, and the last thing he wants is to get a lecture from the very person he'd felt threatened by to make him feel like even more of an ass. He begins reading with a pang of anxiety.

Hey Garrus,

I heard you've been having some doubts about your relationship with Jane and her involvement with me. First, you should know that there is nothing between us beyond friendship, you shouldn't be worried so quit it, you're stressing her out. Second, there's something you should probably see; I'm sure you've noticed the hand sign that she does at the end of your calls? It's part of the sign language that she uses during missions when using comms isn't safe and she's taught me a bit as well. Attached you'll find the reference sheet she provided to me, I think you'll find it enlightening.

Your friend,

Kitaro

P.S. Remind Kyrie to behave herself!

Garrus chuckles at that last bit, knowing there is no way Kyrie would ever behave as he opens the attachment and scrolls through the different hand signs until he finds the one that Jane always used and freezes. His eyes lock on the sign and on the translation below, 'I love you'. His heart pounds in his chest and he feels his stomach tighten at those three little words, the whole time she'd been telling him how she felt about him and he'd been too oblivious to ever realize it. Guilt overcomes him as he closes the message and makes his way to the cabinet, pulling out a bottle of turian brandy and embarking on a mission to drown his regret.


	13. Chapter 13

Kitaro knocks on the frame of the gantry Jane is leaning against where she's examining a schematic and drops an empty duffel next to her, "Hey girl, it's our turn to make a supply run. We can pick up the control moment gyro also; Spirits know you could use an attitude adjustment. Pun intended. Pack for two days and be ready to leave in 20."

Jane scrambles to her feet, following after him, "Awesome! You ordered the single-gimbal right?"

"Yes, Jane, if I have to listen to the 'more torque for less electrical input' speech again I'm going to make you order your own parts from now on." He calls back to her as they part ways, him heading to the skiff and Jane to her quarters to gets her gear.

Twenty minutes later they're strapping into their seats in the cockpit of the small ship and heading into the relay. "So, where are we picking up?" Jane asks, settling comfortably into her seat as they prepare for the jump.

"Citadel." He says simply, watching for her reaction since he knows she and Garrus still hadn't spoken.

Jane visibly stiffens next to him, feeling anxiety creeping up her spine at the thought of seeing Garrus. She wants to see him, badly, she wishes she could be with him every day and the last few weeks had been rough not talking to him, but she isn't sure if he's still upset with her and if he'll want to see her at all, and if he doesn't it'll crush her.

"We'll have about a day and a half of free time while they put together our order… think you'll visit Garrus?" Kitaro probes, trying to gauge her level of resistance to the idea.

"I don't know… he still hasn't talked to me, so I'm not sure how he'd feel about it." She bites her lip as she thinks, "What do you think I should do? Does he know we're coming?"

They both brace themselves as the relay slingshots them towards the Citadel before Kitaro answers her. "I think he'd be hurt if you didn't, and no." He lies, avoiding eye contact as to not give himself away.

Jane nods in response, knowing she probably wouldn't have been able to stay away anyway, they get so few opportunities to see each other she couldn't imagine missing out on one of them over something as trivial as a misunderstanding, especially after her recent eye opening near death experience made it painfully clear that any of their visits could indeed be their last. "You're right. I'll find him when we're done with our business." She steels herself, knowing they'll be arriving momentarily and trying to not be nervous.

Kitaro gives her a smile and a pat on the shoulder, "Good girl. We're ten minutes out if you want to doll yourself up or something."

"Shut up, I swear you're the worst!" She rolls her eyes and punches his shoulder teasingly, though part of her does wish she could have worn something other than her uniform and had time to do pretty herself up a bit, he knows her far too well for her liking.

A short time later they're docked and waiting in the airlock for the doors to open, and when they do Jane feels her heart jump in her chest at the sight of Garrus waiting at the dock. She turns to Kitaro with a look of shock on her face but can't help smiling, clearly he had something to do with this. "Kitaro… are we really on a supply run?" She questions him suspiciously.

"We're multi-tasking. " He says with a smirk, "We really did need that part since you broke the last one I ordered, and I took the crew's requisitions, but mostly I'm tired of you moping around all day and I hoped this would solve that problem."

"Well yeah I broke it trying to adapt it because you ordered the dual-gimbal instead of a single, it's not a space station trying to store momentum goof!" Jane argues jokingly and pulls him into a hug. "Thank you, you're the best."

"I know, the two of you would be lost without me." He hugs her in return and gestures towards Garrus who is waiting patiently for her, "Go patch things up, I'll take care of business and let you know when we've got to head out."

Garrus is starting to look nervous as Jane approaches him and she gives him a smile of reassurance as he walks to meet her. Seeing his mandibles relax into a smile is all it takes to melt away any tension remaining in her and she picks up the pace, closing the short distance left between them and rushing into his arms. Being wrapped in his arms feels so completely natural now that it's hard to imagine that embracing him had ever been awkward as she cherishes the few moments of silence between them before he pulls back and looks down at her. His piercing blue eyes meet hers and she feels her heart begin to race as he affectionately caresses her face, not even remotely expecting what he is about to say.

"I love you, too." Garrus purrs softly as he presses his forehead to hers and holds her close against him. "I'm so sorry, Jane…"

She cuts him off by pressing her lips softly against his mouth plates and sliding her hand around the back of his neck to pull him into the kiss. "Shhh…" Jane whispers to him and smiles shyly, "Let's go to your place."

Garrus raises a brow at her in surprise and returns a humble smile, "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"It means I'm going to show you why you never need to worry again." Jane replies saucily, letting her eyes roam up and down his body hungrily and biting her lip in excitement when he takes her hand and leads her away in the direction of his apartment.


End file.
